A Cretaceous and Devonian Weekend

[Darktooth]

20 hours ago, frankh8147 said:

What's kind of interesting (to me at least) about the pyrite/marcasite in the NJ Cretaceous brooks - the wood crumbles within months but all the shark teeth with pyrite/marcasite bases I've found have actually withstood the test of time really well and have the same luster (roughly) as they did when I found them.

Maybe because they come from different deposits?

[frankh8147]

26 minutes ago, Darktooth said:

Maybe because they come from different deposits?

I would think that part is (almost) definitely true. I know of a stream in Burlington County NJ where this wood is everywhere but I only found one shark tooth there. 

 

I'm really not sure the wood is even Cretaceous. I would assume it is however because I heard the Sayerville Amber pit has this stuff too..

[The Jersey Devil]

20 hours ago, frankh8147 said:

What's kind of interesting (to me at least) about the pyrite/marcasite in the NJ Cretaceous brooks - the wood crumbles within months but all the shark teeth with pyrite/marcasite bases I've found have actually withstood the test of time really well and have the same luster (roughly) as they did when I found them.

 

I think it is because shark teeth are much denser than the porous/fragile wood.

[frankh8147]

9 minutes ago, The Jersey Devil said:

 

I think it is because shark teeth are much denser than the porous/fragile wood.

Could be..

 

I've only had these for a few years; they are doing good so far but that's not to say that the deterioration isn't just taking longer. I guess I'll find out in a few decades.

[The Jersey Devil]

12 minutes ago, frankh8147 said:

I would think that part is (almost) definitely true. I know of a stream in Burlington County NJ where this wood is everywhere but I only found one shark tooth there. 

 

I'm really not sure the wood is even Cretaceous. I would assume it is however because I heard the Sayerville Amber pit has this stuff too..

 

Even if they come from different deposits, the wood is likely to be more susceptible to time.

 

What other ages are you considering for the wood?

[frankh8147]

16 minutes ago, The Jersey Devil said:

 

Even if they come from different deposits, the wood is likely to be more susceptible to time.

 

What other ages are you considering for the wood?

If it's not Cretaceous (which I think it is but am not sure), I unfortunately lack the knowledge to even make an educated guess on this one.

[Jeffrey P]

Congratulations Dave. That sounds like you had a great outing with Frank. He's one of the elite Cretaceous collectors in New Jersey and times spent collecting with him are always rewarding. 

[Trevor]

Awesome find Dave! Sorry I was unable to come along but maybe we can get an outing some time this Spring. 

[Darktooth]

9 minutes ago, Trevor said:

Awesome find Dave! Sorry I was unable to come along but maybe we can get an outing some time this Spring. 

I am planning on getting back there more often so Spring will be good, though I hope to get back there before then.

[Mediospirifer]

Mr. Spirifer and I also enjoyed our DSR trip! We brought home a variety of stuff, which we'll have to look through and identify. I was focusing mostly on bivalves, Carl was looking for trilobites. Both of us were collecting anything that struck our interest, so we got more than just those two types. We ended up with 7 full "shoebox" plastic tubs, 1 nearly-full bead box, and 3 slabs that didn't fit in either. It'll take some time to go through that haul and identify things!

 

All in all, a very good day in the field. Seeing a bald eagle fly overhead at the end of the day was a bonus.